Newborn Hope

The World Health Organization reports that out of 1000 live births in Burundi, 104 of those children will die before their 5th birthday.  That's more than one out of ten.  Many of those don't even make it a few months.  To compare, 7 children out of 1000 born alive in the United States won't make it past five years old.

I know it's hard to process that.  It's hard to imagine the pain and loss in those statistics.  It's hard to translate that from numbers into hearts aching.

The Carlson family is working to establish a fair trade coffee industry in Burundi.  Besides being a mom in a place without car seats or chicken nuggets, Kristy also eloquently captures and expresses some of the struggle and beauty of the Burundian people through her stunning photography.

This morning, after snuggling my almost three-year-old in my cozy bed for what I felt was a little too long, I finally got my coffee and soon saw these images of brand new life.  Even if you don't have time to read all about her experience at the clinic, please at least view her photos.

Don't look at these statistics and despair.  I know we all have a tendency to hear the numbers and feel that the situation is so dire that nothing we can do could possibly make a difference.  But that's not true!  The good news is that there is hope!

Here Dr. Alyssa Pfister (pediatrician with the McCropder team in Kibuye) instructs midwifery students on how to properly examine a newborn.  Isn't this exciting?  A whole new generation of health care providers is being trained right now--and the work is only going to grow.  Oh, I hope we get to be a part of that!